


Re:Zero Anathema

by AI_Tori



Category: Re:ゼロから始める異世界生活 | Re:Zero Starting Life in Another World (Anime)
Genre: Curses, F/M, One Shot, Pain, Prompt Fic, Return by Death (Re:Zero), Rezero - Freeform, Short One Shot, Suffering, Yandere, re:zero - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:13:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27991311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AI_Tori/pseuds/AI_Tori
Summary: One Shot: Set during the in-between of Arcs 2 and 3, Emilia follows Subaru on a morning trip to Arlam village. He just wants to do radio calisthenics with the village kids but, after a certain merchant strolls into town, Emilia begins acting strange.
Relationships: Emilia/Natsuki Subaru
Comments: 14
Kudos: 56





	1. Acquisition

**Author's Note:**

> This is a one shot inspired by a list consisting of an abomination of monstrous ideas thinly veiled as “choices” then posted online--therefore I blame nafissyed for this. (Thanks for the inspiration, haha.)
> 
> I really should have titled this “I can’t believe I took a break from writing/editing Remix to make this one shot.”
> 
> Also, I just remembered that Emilia has a small verbal tic that's hard to tell sometimes (unless you're reading the source material). I'm not confident in the placement of it, so I only used it a little in this.

Another morning passed by uneventfully for the residents of the Roswaal estate. As per usual, the Margrave had disappeared for some kind of business discussion in the capital, leaving the maids to look after the mansion, its inhabitants, and the newest guest--Natsuki Subaru.

The boy had been helpful in protecting Emilia and the maids thus he was given special treatment to stay as long as he liked. He awoke early in the morning to follow his now common routine of radio calisthenics with the residents of the local Arlam village. As he went about his morning, he made sure to keep in mind the shopping list Ram had handed him the night before but, for the moment, he found himself preoccupied spending time with the village children.

Emilia stood aside, a white cat-eared hood covering her features to prevent anyone from recognizing her half-elf nature. She watched quietly as Subaru entertained the children, a small smile hidden by shade.

A dragon carriage arrived at the small town’s entrance and came to a halt. It wasn’t uncommon for local travelers to stop in for supplies, but merchants were a fairly rare sight, yet one was presently carrying a large green cloth roll to the modest town square.

The young grey-haired merchant rolled the tarp out and arranged various items for purchase. He stood on the edge of the fountain to gain height and shouted proudly, “My wares are now available for purchase! Please, if you are so inclined, take a look and you may find something truly special.”

Subaru and the small children were the first to immediately rush to get a good look at what was for sale. The boy couldn’t make heads or tails of most of the items available and didn’t see any value in any of it. He crossed his arms slightly and tilted his head as he tried to understand why anyone would attempt to sell such oddities in a place like this.

“Thank you, Mister Merchant, but I don’t think anyone would be interested in these strange vials or that weird looking clock,” said Petra with her arms wrapped behind her back and an innocent smile as she vocalized what everyone was likely thinking of the strange selection.

The merchant immediately blurted out an attempt to recover favor, “B-but wait! There is this! You might like this!” He spoke rapidly as he picked up a small metal hair comb with a tiny yellow jewel in the handle and presented it for the young girl to see. Bouncing back, he smiled and spoke confidently, “I will even offer you a discount! Normally this would sell for at least five silver coins,” he boasted, “But, for you little Miss, I will accept five copper coins!”

Petra put a finger to her lips and hummed in thought before speaking again, “Hmm, nah! I don’t have any money anyway!” The tiny girl stuck her tongue out and laughed before running to hide behind Subaru.

The boy placed a hand on Petra’s head and lightly reprimanded her with a small smile, “Hey hey now, Petra! That’s not nice! Don’t be rude to the nice salesman. He’s just trying to make a living off this weird stuff he’s got on him.”

“--It is not weird!” the merchant blurted out before covering his mouth and attempting to regain his composure. “I guarantee I supply all of my wares from valid sources and all of these items hold unique value that cannot be obtained anywhere else in Lugunica!” he spoke proudly.

Subaru appeared impressed by the quick-witted turnaround and nodded with a cheeky grin, “I see! I see! So what you’re saying is you didn’t swipe these items from a second hand one-hundred yen store!”

“Do I really look to be that kind of person, sir!?” the merchant appeared rattled as he grabbed his head and sighed, “And, besides, I don’t even know what a ‘one-hundred yen store’ is, but I can promise none of this is second hand! I obtained all of my wares from their sources of distribution!” After another boast, he offered a small, pleasant smile, “So, are you interested in making a purchase, sir?”

Subaru looked aside with an awkward smile and scratched at the nape of his neck, “Well, you see. I’m also a bit low on cash at the moment, so I was just...window shopping.” The boy laughed nervously upon realization that he likely had just wasted this man's time.

“If you are not going to make a purchase, then why inquire about my wares!?”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it...uh, what was your name again?”

“And now you have the mind to ask me my name? It is Otto Suwen, by the way,” the grey-haired merchant huffed and readjusted the large green feather hat on his head before mumbling to himself, “Well, not that this is unexpected...”

“Sorry, sorry!” Subaru bowed an apology hurriedly before stepping out of the way and waving, “Well, uh, good luck, Otto. Let’s go everyone!” He grabbed Petra’s hand and ran with the children to return to their previous activities.

Throughout the rest of the morning, the merchant decided to make a show of his offerings but, one by one, he was turned down. No one bought a single thing and, before long, no customers remained to so much as question his wares.

Otto sat on the stone edge of the fountain dejectedly, his large green feather hat in hand, looking down about himself. Should he just pack up and go? He really wanted to get breakfast, he thought. Long after the crowds had dispersed, leaving only the sound of running water, he heard a sweet voice like a bell break through the silence, “Hello, uh, sorry to bother you but...what is all of this?”

The merchant’s crystal blue eyes opened and looked up to see a young girl--Emilia--waiting patiently for his response. He hesitated for a second before tossing his hat back onto his head and immediately regaining his salesman-like composure, “Ah, yes Miss. Well, I have procured various wares from across Lugunica and I might have something you may be interested in. There is this he--”

Before he could finish pointing across the tarp, the half-elf directed to a specific item and inquired simply, “What is that?”

The object in question was a small black box with a gold trim design and a single purple gem on the lid. The merchant immediately placed the item in the girl’s hands with a smile. “This is one of the most unique items I have come across. It is said a powerful mage forged it in a deep cavern filled with mana and that a single cut can cure any illness! Although I cannot actually promise such a tall tale to be true, I am sure you might find some interest in it, Miss.”

Emilia’s amethyst eyes lit up as she opened the box and examined the object inside--a single impressive dagger, its black blade shimmering in the sunlight. The hilt appeared to be wrapped in dark brown leather and the cross-guard was made of gold-plated metal. On the pommel set a single purple gem that matched the box casing. The half-elf picked the blade up and looked it over with a small smile. “This is...beautiful. Yes, I think I would like to buy this. How much is it?” the girl nodded as she laid the object back inside its box then reached for her purse.

“Ah, splendid! Splendid!” Otto cheered happily as he might have finally obtained a sale, “That would usually sell for seven silver coins but, for you, I will accept three!”

“I thiiiiink I can do that, yes,” Emilia said as she retrieved three coins from the bottom of her purse.

\--But, just as she was about to hand them over, a certain cat spirit spoke to her mentally, “Lia, I don’t think this is really a good idea.”

“Why not, Puck?” the girl replied to the mental suggestion, “I am just buying it for decoration. Isn’t it beautiful?”

“Yes yes, it is Lia. But listen, I have a bad feeling about it, so--”

“--Oh Puck, you’re just being sour because you don’t want me to spend my money thoughtlessly. I understand.”

“That’s not--”

“--But this poor merchant has been here all day without a single sale, and surely he has to eat too, correct? So I don’t mind buying this from him. Besides, I don’t see anything else available that I would have use for.”

The spirit became quiet, perhaps at a loss for words. The silence was telling enough.

Emilia decided it might be best to attempt to dispel his worries, “Listen Puck, it will be fine. I was given a small allowance and this won’t be a problem for me. Besides, I have you by my side if anything were to ever happen, correct? So I have no worries.”

“Fine fine. When you get like this, I can’t really argue, can I? Just...be careful, alright?”

“I don’t think I need to worry, but if it makes you feel any better, I will.”

With that, the spirit’s voice vanished from Emilia’s mind.

“Uh, are you alright, Miss? You appear to have spaced out,” the merchant commented as his hand remained outstretched in anticipation of payment.

“Ah, yes! Sorry about that!” Emilia said as she hurriedly handed the coins over in exchange for the jewel-encrusted black box. With the transaction complete, the half-elf placed the box into her side bag and smiled as she spoke, “Thank you.” As she was about to walk away, a voice from behind prompted her to turn around.

“W-wait, Miss. I just remembered I have one more thing you may be interested in. If you do not mind walking with me to my carriage, that is.”

Emilia tilted her head slightly but ultimately smiled in response, “ _ Oooookay _ ,” she unconsciously repeated a word Subaru had taught her, though with some small level of uncertainty.

The merchant didn’t appear to be phased by her response and only took it as confirmation. He rolled up his wares then walked back toward where he had parked upon first arrival. For a moment, he nodded to the ground dragon awaiting his return before entering the carriage and putting the tarp away.

Once complete, he waved the half-elf over and invited her inside. “I think I left it around here...” he trailed off as he searched through a shelf, “Or maybe it was here...”

Emilia waited patiently. She let out a small yawn but, as she did, she realized her vision was...wavy. The view of the man in front of her frantically searching his storage began to shift and fade in and out of existence, then the shelves, then the entire carriage, then the world.

\-----

“Emilia!”

A voice like ripples in water.

“Emilia!!”

It called out to the girl repeatedly.

“E-Emilia!!!”

The half-elf slowly opened her violet eyes and looked skyward. As senses flooded back, the girl recognized she was now on the side of the road with the forest surrounding her on all sides. Her body felt warm as she realized arms were wrapped around her shoulders, holding her in a tense but gentle hug. “Suba...ru...?” she finally managed to think enough to speak.

“Emilia!? You’re awake!” the boy said as he parted the hug and held her at arms length to see her face. “Are you alright?”

“What...happened...?”

“I don’t know. The merchant that was here left in a hurry and someone said they heard a loud scream. I realized you were missing and ran around looking for you, then I found you just lying here. Did something happen between you two?”

“No, I--” Emilia tried to think back to what had happened before. The merchant wanted to show her another item he was offering then...nothing. Surely that means she had blacked out, but why? “I was just...talking to him, then...I don’t remember anything else.”

“Don’t worry about it, Emilia-tan!” Subaru spoke cheerfully as if trying to dispel her worries, “Let’s just go home and make sure you’re alright. Rem can heal any injuries and we can get something to eat. Maybe you’ll remember in time.”

“Thanks, Subaru,” Emilia smiled weakly.

The two soon returned to the mansion together and Subaru immediately escorted Emilia to her own room. “Now now, Emilia-tan! Don’t you worry about a thing for today! Just think of it as your day off!”

As the words left his mouth, a certain pink-haired maid stepped into the room wearing a scowl with her arms crossed, “Barusu, where are the groceries I kindly asked you for?” she spoke with a sharp bite.

Subaru immediately held his hands up in self-defense and smiled nervously, “Ah, Ram! Well, some things happened and I...sorta forgot. Haha...”

“Truly useless.”

“--Hey now, that’s rude!”

“Is it? I asked you for a simple list and you came back empty-handed. I find my reaction appropriate,” Ram scoffed.

“Now now,” Emilia chimed in, “Ram, we’re sorry but some things came up and we honestly forgot.”

The maid let out an exasperated sigh, “Emilia-sama, you do not have to defend this man. I already know him to be a slacker.”

“--Takes one to know one!” Subaru fired back.

Ram shook her head and maintained her attention on the half-elf. “Anyway, I will go gather the groceries myself. Rem will be in attendance to watch over you. Please rest.” With that, she turned and left the room before anyone could argue.

Subaru remained at Emilia’s side for the rest of the day. Time passed slowly as the two chatted about nothing and everything. Meanwhile, the maids would routinely visit to bring food, retrieve trays, and check the girl's current state of wellbeing. By evening, everything had grown quiet, and even the boy currently sitting in the bedside chair could barely keep his eyes open.

“Subaru,” Emilia spoke with a small smile, “I think you should go to bed now. I’ll be fine, really.”

Uncertainty crossed the boy’s features, “Are you sure? We still don’t really know what happened to you earlier. What if you’re sick or cursed or something?”

“I know I know, but Rem and Ram will still be checking on me, correct? Besides, I would like to get some sleep now.”

“Well, if that’s what you want, Emilia-tan, I get it. If you need me, I’ll be in my room. You better shout if something happens! And make sure you yell for Puck! I’m sure he could do something. Oh, and I’ll make sure the maids check on you every hour!” Subaru smiled confidently.

“I will, I will. Thank you for staying with me today, Subaru,” said Emilia, offering a gentle smile.

Subaru scratched the nape of his neck and blushed, “Ahhhhh, it's no big deal.” A small moment of awkward silence formed between the two before he spoke again, “A-anyway, I’ll be going now.” The boy waved one last time before leaving the room.

As the door closed with a soft  _ clack _ , Emilia dropped her previous facade and looked down at the sheets in her hands with a quivering lip. Tears began to stream down her cheeks as she weakly mumbled to herself.

“Puck... Where did you go...?”


	2. Vacant

“No! No wait! W-what are you doing!?”

 _Thunk. Thunk_. _Thunk_.

A voice screeched loudly followed by a hurricane of wood splintering and glass shattering.

 _Thunk_.

“I suppose so... If that is your decision, then--” another voice began before being cut off.

 _Thunk_.

“I don’t understand! Y-you--” And another.

 _Thunk_.

“Ah, I see now, it is because--” And another.

 _Thunk_.

\-----

Emilia awoke in a cold sweat, breathing heavily. She held a hand to her chest in an attempt to stabilize her rapidly beating heart. Blinding light filled her view, prompting her to hold the other arm over her squinted eyes and wince.

As she finally managed to regain her vision and surveyed her surroundings, the girl realized the blinding light was the sun in the light blue sky and the soft material she had been lying on was the freshly cut lawn of the garden. How did she end up out here?

After standing and brushing the grass from her evening gown, Emilia immediately took off running back into the mansion. “Hello?” the girl asked cautiously as she wandered around, scanning for the others. Instinctively, she decided to check the kitchen first.

No one appeared to be present.

“Is anyone here?” Emilia asked as she looked around. She noticed the oven doors were set slightly ajar. Something deep inside told her to open it and, as the half-elf pulled the doors apart, she gasped. Inside, she found the curled up form of one pink-haired maid--eyes closed, unmoving, and covered in blood.

Emilia screamed and slammed the door shut. She took off running from the kitchen, tears threatening the corners of her amethyst eyes. _What is this? Why is this happening? Why!?_

“Puck, where are you!?” she tried to mentally communicate with her contracted spirit, but received no response. Tears trickled down the girl’s cheeks as realization dawned that she was now all alone with a potential murderer on the loose in the mansion.

As the girl barreled down the hallways, she took notice that all of the doors were open. She peered into each one along the way but found no clues as to what was happening.

The half-elf continued down the halls until she reached the bath house and looked inside for any source of life. Water filled the massive bathtub and the temperature was steamy enough to create a fog within the room. As Emilia neared the now blood-red water’s edge, she spotted something...blue. A certain maid floating in the tub, face down, unmoving.

Emilia let out another shriek and took off running in the opposite direction. She huffed and coughed as her lungs emptied and tears streamed ceaselessly. The salty liquid was becoming too much for her eyes so she squinted them shut to push the burning sensation away.

\-- _Oomf_.

The half-elf ran into something and fell backwards. She landed in a seated position with stars in her vision. When she looked up, she realized what had happened. “S-Subaru?”

“Emilia, there you are!” the boy spoke quickly, “Why are you running around frantically? And why are you crying? Are you alright?”

“I-I...” Emilia’s eyes became hotter as she felt tears breaking through yet again. “Rem is... R-Ram is...” she coughed and choked on the horrific, now burned-in images of the two maids’ final resting places.

Subaru's eyebrows narrowed as he pursed his lips shut and frowned. Even though he hadn’t received a full explanation, he could tell it wasn’t going to be a pleasant one. “Where?”

“T-the bathtub... A-and... T-the kitchen...” the half-elf hiccupped, “The oven... The blood... It’s--”

The boy nodded quickly before reaching a hand to help Emilia up. “I get it. We need to get out of here,” he spoke as though he had put all the pieces together. The sight of every door open and hearing the screams along with Emilia’s ghastly expression might have aided in that conclusion.

The two took off running back down the halls of the mansion’s first floor. By now, Subaru had gained a good idea of how to exit the mansion in the fastest way possible, and so he led the way, Emilia’s hand in his.

\--Suddenly, the boy’s arm was yanked at his wrist. He felt himself thrown into one of the guest rooms and, before he could blink, the door slammed shut. Things happened so fast his mind could barely process it all.

As he laid prone on the floor and looked up through dizzying vision, his eyes met shimmering amethyst. The girl he cared so much for sat with her knees across his legs so he couldn’t move and held her left hand over his throat. In her free hand, raised over her shoulder, was a single glimmering black dagger.

“E-Emilia-tan... W-what are you doing?” he asked with a nervous laugh, “This is a joke, right? You’re playing a prank on me? Haha... Good one! You got me. So uh... C-can you let me go now?”

 _Thunk_.

The girl jammed the dagger into the wooden floor beside Subaru’s head. He briefly squinted his eyes shut and gulped as it splintered the wood beside his ear. “Hey, hey now! I’m sure we can talk this out! Is it something I did!? Maybe something I said!?” he spoke frantically.

Throughout all of this, a wide grin never left Emilia’s face. She stared down at the boy with her violet eyes sparkling in the sunlight. It made sense, then, why Subaru would want to believe this was just a joke. After all, he hadn’t seen the other residents with his own eyes. But something in this girl’s previous voice told him that part was the truth, and this was now a lie.

“E-Emilia-tan...” he nervously tried to de-escalate the situation, “C-come on. Say something?”

“--I love you.” The words left Emilia’s lips as though they were the most natural thing in the world. As the boy’s expression turned to confused shock, the girl only leaned in closer and whispered, “I love you, Subaru.”

“This is a joke. Haha, you could have fooled me...” Subaru tried to laugh it off to dispel his own worries as he slowly and gently wrapped a hand around her slender wrist. He made an attempt to break free but, when he did, she clutched his throat even tighter, causing him to choke and gasp.

Even so, Emilia's expression did not change from the soft yet slightly off grin spread across her face. “You love me too, don’t you, Subaru? That’s why you do so much for me. That’s why you’re always there for me. Isn’t that right, Subaru? Isn’t that right?” she spoke hollowly with childish joy.

But the boy found no words with which to respond. Instead, he grit his teeth as he felt her grip tighten around his windpipe. After a moment of silence passed, he strained out a question, “W-who...are you?”

“I am Emilia, silly! Just your Emilia,” the half-elf said as she leaned her face ever closer to his. Her silver hair cascaded over, tickling the boy’s forehead as she breathed hot air against his face. “And I’m never going to leave your side. I’m going to love you forever, always. Because, I am yours, and you are mine.”

In that moment, Subaru managed to wrap his legs around one of Emilia’s and wrestle her over onto her side with an _oomf_. He quickly scrambled to stand before she could make another move.

The boy immediately backed away from her toward the door, but something deep inside stalled his escape. The girl before him clearly wasn’t his Emilia anymore, but he couldn’t just abandon her to save himself. With a shaky hand gripping the doorknob tightly, his widened sharp eyes stared back at the stranger now wearing the form of the girl he loved most. “I-I don’t know who you are, but you’re not Emilia!” he shouted angrily.

Not-Emilia pushed herself to stand up from the wooden floor. She retrieved the black dagger with her right hand and held her left outstretched. Wordlessly, she fired ice spears into the wall and door around Subaru, pinning him in place. The boy remained trapped there unless he let go of the knob and stepped forward--except he couldn’t; he quickly realized his hand was frozen to the handle.

Subaru's eyes darted back and forth between the door and the girl as he tried in vain to pull his hand away. But the half-elf soon reached his side and pushed his back against the frame. Her unassuming grin grew as she stared him down.

The girl's cold hand raised his chin and, in a matter of seconds, she pressed her lips against his. Subaru's eyes widened. He frantically grabbed at her shoulder and pushed her away. “C-Cut it out!” he shouted angrily, “What’s gotten into you!?”

Emilia frowned slightly, clearly unhappy with the rejection. “You are mine,” she said monotonously with a twinge of frustration.

 _Thunk_.

The boy winced as the black blade pierced his left shoulder, further pinning him to the door frame. He looked for a way out but there were no options remaining. All he could do was stare at the girl in front of him and grit his teeth.

Seeing his pained expression, Emilia returned to smiling and let out a small giggle, “You understand now? That you aren’t going anywhere, Subaru. Ah, but I’m sorry I had to hurt you. It was necessary, wasn’t it? For you to understand, I had to do this. I’m sorry, I know it hurts, but I’ll make sure you won’t be in pain anymore.”

While the girl continued to speak, Subaru reached up with his free hand and grasped for the hilt of the dagger buried in his shoulder. He ushered all of his strength to not only remove it but to also get it away from Emilia. “Rahhhhh!” he shouted as he yanked the blade from his wound, blood pouring down and staining his tracksuit jacket.

The moment the hilt was completely within his grip, he felt a _thump, thump thump_ , as though his heart had made an attempt to leap from his chest. His eyes widened as his perception wavered. Seconds later, his vision turned black.

Emilia slumped over on the wooden floor. A few moments later, her violet eyes slowly fluttered open to witness the mess that had occured in the guest room. Weakly, she pushed herself to sit up and stared at Subaru with a gasp. “S-Subaru! W-what’s going on!? What happened!?” The boy had been pinned to the door, clearly by her own magic, yet she held no recollection of any of it.

“Puck! Where are you!? What’s happening!?” the half-elf desperately called out to the contracted spirit, but her voice only echoed through her mind without a response.

Staring down the ice magic of her own design, in that moment, realization dawned on her--she finally knew what had happened to the other mansion dwellers...and even the merchant. It was by her hand that they each perished one by one. Although she couldn’t remember the exact events that took place, she knew it was her fault, and that thought immediately filled her with a sense of grief and regret.

Another thought crossed her mind--she could still save Subaru. He was right here in front of her. Though he might be pinned down and injured, she had the power to heal him and save him from this tragedy.

But, just as those thoughts filled her with determination, Subaru looked down on her with his sharp eyes offering an oddly emotionless expression as he spoke plainly, “Emilia.” The boy realized his situation and came to an equally quick decision. With no hesitation, he swiftly used the black blade to sever his left hand at the wrist, freeing him from the door handle. He paid absolutely no mind to the bleeding stump that remained as he walked forward.

“Emilia,” he repeated mindlessly, as if in a trance. He stood over the girl with a blank stare, the black and thoroughly bloodied dagger held firmly in his one remaining hand.

The half-elf stared back, frozen in shock after witnessing Subaru’s horrifying actions. She looked akin to a deer in headlights as she held her mouth slightly ajar with her amethyst eyes wide.

But the boy began to do something unthinkable--he held the dagger firmly in front of his throat. Moments before he could finish the motion, Emilia quickly scrambled to stand and frantically grasped at his right arm. “Stop!” the half-elf shouted as she rushed to disarm him.

Subaru swung his arm around in an attempt to get her off, but Emilia managed to pry the slippery blade from his hand and roll away with it. Not realizing the dagger was to blame for the events transpiring, she held the hilt tightly with both hands to prevent the boy from taking it from her.

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

Emilia’s eyes widened as she began losing all sense of self. Her perception of the world shifted and contorted and swirled and blended--until it ceased to be.

Meanwhile, Subaru had collapsed onto the floor. The first thing he realized upon re-awakening was the immense pain in his left hand. When he lifted his arm up to examine and realized there was no hand attached anymore, he rolled over and screamed. The boy clutched at his wrist desperately in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding. He wheezed as he tried to breathe normally and his heart beat rapidly, as if threatening to break through his rib cage.

His wary eyes looked up to see Emilia approach yet again. But now he finally understood everything. He knew why this was happening, and yet he could presently do nothing about it. “E-Emilia...” he spoke weakly as his skin began to turn a paler color.

“Ah, let me help you!” Emilia smiled brightly as she kneeled beside the boy, paying no mind to the blood pooling on the wooden floor. She pulled his head into her lap and smiled sweetly, “There there, all better, right?”

Subaru’s voice rasped from his quickly drying throat, “Just...kill me already...”

“No, that would be terrible. What kind of love would allow me to do such a thing...yet?” the girl giggled, “I get to have you all to myself. And I am all yours! Let us enjoy this time together.”

The boy quickly realized that, if he didn’t receive a swift death soon, he would likely be forced to slowly bleed out painfully for what might amount to hours. In that time, he would have to watch this deformed version of Emilia whisper sweet nothings to him, with possibly worse things yet to come. That realization, along with the fact he no longer had the strength to fight back, created salty droplets at the corners of his eyes. Before he recognized how hot his cheeks had become, the tears flowed seemingly endlessly.

Emilia reached a free, bloodied hand down to wipe away his tears, smearing the mixture across his cheek. “All better!” she spoke cheerfully, “You know, I once heard this blade can cure any disease! I wonder if it can even cure heartache!” As she spoke, she started to slowly dig the dagger into Subaru’s chest. He winced at the pain but didn’t bother protesting--the sooner this time loop was over, the better.

But the half-elf suddenly stopped, “Oh, that doesn’t seem to work. It doesn’t work at all.”

That moment of hope for salvation ripped away, Subaru reached his one shaky hand up to weakly grasp at the girl’s wrist. He stared into her eyes but, behind the blinding pain, he was unable to formulate the words he wanted to say. Instead, his mouth just hung slightly open while air weakly passed through.

“I know, Subaru. You don’t have to say it,” Emilia spoke all-knowingly and giggled, “I love you too.” With those words, the half-elf leaned over and gave him a small kiss on the lips before holding her head close to his face, breathing hot air onto his neck. “See, I knew you really loved me,” she whispered.

Subaru grimaced as he felt his strength leaving him by the second. With Emilia’s wrist in his grasp, and the blade still pointed right at his heart, he mustered everything he could to attempt to roll over. In doing so, he managed to rip the dagger away and plunged the black blade deep into his chest using momentum and gravity against the floor.

The boy sputtered red from his mouth as he felt the cold blade slice through the tissue protecting his heart and lungs. He coughed and gagged as blood poured out, staining the wood beneath a deep crimson. 

But Subaru didn’t care; this pain was necessary. He needed to get out of this loop, regardless where the checkpoint might be. Hopefully it would be in a manageable place, he thought.

As the boy lay dying on the floor, his blood pooling around him, Emilia finally regained her senses. She shrieked as she noticed what was happening. _Oh no, oh no, oh no_ \--she couldn't save Subaru either!? In a panic, the half-elf flipped him over and tossed the black blade across the floor. She attempted to administer healing magic to his wounds, but the damage had already been done. Though the cut in his skin began to heal shut, the internal injuries would take a lot longer than the short span of time he had remaining.

Emilia weakly grasped the boy’s one hand in between her own as tears rolled down her cheeks. “Subaru! I’m so sorry!” she apologized pleadingly, “I really mean it! I really really mean it! So please, please don’t die!”

“E-Emi...lia...” Subaru coughed out, blood running down his chin even as he offered a small, weak smile, “D-don’t...be sad...”

Moments later, light left the boy’s irises.

\-----

_Gasp_.

Subaru gasped loudly as corporeal senses flooded back in. His eyes darted around frantically as he grasped at his shoulder and chest, but no injuries remained there. Then the boy, still shaking from events prior, realized he now had both hands intact, which spurred a small sense of relief as he looked them over.

But that relief didn’t last long as he weakly clutched his forehead with both hands and hunched over, his shoulders slumping forward. The boy’s brain remained simultaneously empty and loud as he still couldn’t fully grasp everything that had happened between then and now.

Visions of Emilia’s contorted grin attempted to assault Subaru’s mind, prompting him to squint his eyes shut, but that only made it worse. The girl’s creepy, hollow sweet nothings echoed endlessly behind his eardrums, tearing right into his heart. Desperately, the boy reached to cover his ears in an effort to stifle the voices. It was all enough to make him want to scream, but he somehow held back.

A mental reminder of the pain and fear coursed through his veins as he slowly opened his eyes and stared blankly down at the sheets surrounding him, only then realizing he had awoken in a familiar bed. He was back at the Roswaal mansion and this was most likely his personal guest room.

As his senses fully returned, Subaru sluggishly glanced at the calendar on the table and realized his checkpoint had become the morning he was to leave with Emilia for his morning radio calisthenics with the village kids. Another small sigh of relief escaped his lips as this was probably the most perfect checkpoint he could have ended up with. Though the memories of the previous loop were difficult to swallow, the elation he felt from finding a successful respawn point with the chance to prevent such a tragedy from repeating filled him with renewed hope.

Also, he happened to remember the grocery list Ram previously left with him which she had treated as ‘urgent,’ yet he never completed it before. In that brief moment, the boy picked the note up from the table and finally looked the list over. Though it took him a little extra time to read as he was still yet in the process of learning the written language of this new world, he understood that it was all basic things anyone could carry back, and none of it appeared immediately necessary. He frowned deeply as he folded the paper and placed it in his tracksuit jacket pocket.

Subaru took a moment to think back on everything that had happened in the previous loop. Emilia went crazy and killed everyone in the mansion, that much was certain, and it was all due to a black dagger he had never seen before. Where did she get it from? Was it from the merchant? But he didn’t remember seeing such a thing laid out on the tarp. Maybe it was in a box or something?

Either way, he needed to prevent Emilia from coming in contact with it again. Since it was most likely a cursed object, and he knew very little about such things beyond his one encounter with the ma-beast curse, it was probably pointless trying to get rid of it himself. And who knew how many other cursed wares that merchant might have picked up--or might ever picked up.

Well, it wasn’t his responsibility to manage the guy’s stock, Subaru thought as he walked back to the kitchen. Inside, he found Rem preparing some vegetables on a cutting board. “Hey, could you tell your sister I’m not going to the village today. I’m feeling a little...uh, under the weather,” he smiled weakly.

“Oh no," Rem momentarily gasped in surprise before offering a reassuring smile, "Then I shall prepare a soup for you that should help you feel a lot better. Please go rest in your room and I will be right up shortly.”

“Thanks a bunch, Rem!” Subaru said cheerfully as he quickly dumped the grocery list onto the counter and hurriedly left the kitchen before he might come in contact with the fiery older sister.

On his way back through the halls, he finally found Emilia and flagged her down. “So uh, I told Rem I’m not feeling well so we’re not going to the village today,” he spoke somewhat nervously. A part of him feared the girl might decide to go by herself, but he knew that was very unlikely given her current relationship with the village people of Arlam.

“Oooooh no, you must go to your room right away!” the half-elf declared in a harsh, motherly tone as she began to drag him toward his guest room. “Make sure you have enough water, and we’ll have Rem make you some soup, and I’ll go get a towel!” When they arrived, the boy was still unable to get a word in edgewise, “Now lay down and rest. You will feel better in no time! I’ll be here if you need me, _oooookay_?”

Subaru did not protest--not one bit. Everything remained as it should be, and if he had to lay in bed doing nothing all day getting special treatment, then that was just a bonus, really. Besides, Emilia using the words he taught her was...pretty cute.

After Emilia left the room and the door clicked shut, Subaru stared up at the ceiling and reflected on the past events. _Well, at least things are back to normal now._

He thought back on how Ram had treated him when they forgot to go grocery shopping amongst the chaos and frowned.

\-- _And Ram can stop slacking for once and go get her own damn groceries!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Crazy yanderes are fascinating and surprisingly fun to write.
> 
> Original Prompt: You are cursed to unknowingly turn into a yandere at any random moment and kill the person you last interacted with. The curse is eternal and it will stay with you forever until you die. It will also turn off every time you have successfully killed the unfortunate victim. Your first victim is a crying Subaru.
> 
> I changed the first person to Emilia because I don’t intend to write self-inserts, and she is a far more interesting character for the role of a yandere. Also, I changed the first victim, Subaru, to the final because it made the most sense to me. Otherwise, everything else is intact--yes, that timeline is completely screwed. Also, I like to assume that the “every time it turned off” was a point where Emilia thought she was simply having a nightmare, hence the beginning of the second chapter.
> 
> I briefly considered writing more into Subaru being yandere, but I felt like that took the spotlight away from Emilia too much, so I dropped it. He still needed to know exactly what was going on by the end of the loop, therefore zombie-brain Subaru happened.
> 
> Also I considered writing out the full deaths of the others (Otto, Beatrice, Ram, Rem, etc) but, for now, I decided against it. Maybe if someone is interested I might consider writing something with them as an additional chapter or two but, for now, this is all I have planned.


End file.
